DONALD TRUMP IS nearing the end of his first week as US President and it’s been a busy one.
Here’s how he got on yesterday.
Made an order requiring a “large physical barrier on the southern border”
The chant “build that wall” dominated many Trump rallies during last year’s election. While there had been doubts of whether Trump would or could build a wall along the Mexican border.
The US leader instructed officials to begin to “plan, design and construct a physical barrier along the southern border” and see how it could be funded.
“A nation without borders is not a nation,” Trump said, echoing former president Ronald Reagan, as he visited the Department of Homeland Security to sign two executive orders.
“Beginning today, the United States of America gets back control of its borders,” the Republican president said. The decision has, however, angered Mexico.
Made an order removing federal funding from “sanctuary cities”
Some 300 states, cities and counties – from New York to Los Angeles – across the US protect undocumented immigrants from deportation by refusing to assist or cooperate with federal immigration officials. Such cities normally do not allow local police to inquire about the immigration status of people with whom they interact.
The order signed by Trump yesterday demands that those cities lose their federal funding. According to CNN, New York alone stands to lose $10.4 billion in federal funds for social services and other programs. The federal agency most likely to cut off funding is the Justice Department, which provides grants to local law enforcement agencies to, among other things, assist crime victims and prepare for terrorist attacks.
The order has been both praised and criticised, with New York Mayor Bill De Blasio pledging to fight the plan.
“Here in New York City and in cities across this nation, this order could in fact undermine public safety.”
The order also detailed how crimes committed by illegal immigrants will be documented and published on a weekly basis.
Immigration crackdown
Today Trump is expected to suspend the US refugee program for four months and halt visas for travellers from seven Muslim countries.
A draft executive order published in the Washington Post and New York Times said refugees from war-torn Syria will be indefinitely banned, while the broader US refugee admissions program will be suspended for 120 days as officials draw up a list of low risk countries.
Trump is also reportedly considering slashing US funding to the UN and other international bodies. A second order published by the Times calls for a review of all current and pending multilateral treaties and requests recommendations on which negotiations or treaties the United States should leave.
The review applies to treaties that are not “directly related to national security, extradition or international trade,” according to the draft.
With AFP
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